Friday, March 23, 2007

Tips For Slimming Down For Summer

The weight loss industry is one of the major industries aroundtoday. With thousands to millions of people worldwide trying tolose those extra few pounds to even a few stones for theirsummer vacation when they are laying on the beach or for theholiday season when they will be visiting family and friendsand want to look their best.The industry alone is a billion dollar industry with manyprograms, products, books and courses that are said to help ina whole host of weird and wonderful ways.In my private Hypnotherapy practice here in Oxfordshire, UK, Isee hundreds of people each and every year that for manydifferent reasons what to shed a few pounds and feel betterabout the way that they look. During their journey with me Iuse Hypnotherapy, Emotional Freedom Technique andNeuro-Linguistic Programming.The most unique and thus successful part of my treatment isthat all my clients learn Self Hypnosis. This gives them thetools to be able to build the life of their dreams long aftertheir sessions with me. This makes the whole program moresuccessful as in 2, 4 even 10 years time they may findthemselves gaining a few pounds here and there. If this occurs,because of the Self Hypnosis, they are more than qualified to beable to deal with the situation themselves, rather than havingto seek professional help.During my weight loss program I give my clients loads of tipson losing weight and eating healthily. I want to share a few ofthese tips here with you in this article today.If you have a lot of weight to lose then I would recommend thatyou seek professional advice, however putting the following tipsinto play will certainly put you on the right track for success!1.Regulate your meal times. Pick times throughout the day whenyou can sit down and actually enjoy your breakfast, lunch anddinner. Stick to these this to allow your body to pick up onthe times and allow it to get used to processing food at thesetimes.2.Get in the habit of eating healthily on a daily basis. Eatloads of fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the day. This iscertainly going to help with your cravings for junk food andjust after a few days you will be feeling much healthier andfitter.3.Take a walk each and every day! You can start with 15 minutesand then building to 45 minutes and then an hour an a half! Youwill be amazed just how quickly you will see results not justin your weight loss, but your overall sense of well-being.Regular exercise limits stress and anxiety and there is alsothe bonus that you could walk in some really beautiful places.So there you have it. Three top tips for sliming. Have fun andget success.About The Author: Richard MacKenzie is an expert inHypnotherapy - http://www.self-change-hypnosis.com He has alsowritten a book on Hypnotherapy called Self-Change Hypnosis -http://www.amazon.com/Self-Change-Hypnosis-Richard-MacKenzie/dp/1412045320

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Pilates for the Older Adult

Pilates for the Older AdultWhy Use Pilates?Pilates is a perfect form of exercise for older adultsbecause it is low impact compared to other forms ofexercise, which means it is not as severe on the joints asmost workouts. It focuses on breathing andquality-controlled movements, not repetitions.Conventional workouts focus on how many repetitions you cando and how much weight you can lift, which tends to buildshort, bulky muscles, which are more prone to injury especially in older adults.Pilates works the "Core", elongates and strengthens themuscles at the same time, which, in turn, improves jointmobility and elasticity. In effect it is a kinder andgentler way to exercise for the older adult who doesn'tneed to be beaten down.How Pilates Works?"Pilates develops the body uniformly, corrects wrongpostures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mindand elevates the spirit." - Joseph Pilates.Pilates is unique in that it systematically exercises allthe muscle groups in the body, the weak as well as thestrong. The exercises make you stronger, more flexible,and less likely to fall because they re-educate your bodyto use all of your muscles, not just the superficial ones.By strengthening both your large muscles and the deep,smaller endurance muscles that are responsible for yourstrength, they take the strain off the larger muscles andgive them added support.Concentration and correct breathing are added to theexercises to teach you to recruit the smaller, supportivemuscles. Bottom line: less pain, greater range of motion,and fewer falls.How Pilates Helps to Improve Walking Posture, Balance, andGait Speed?What does Pilates have to do with walking? Well, let'sfirst look at how we walk. We stand upright with;hopefully, good posture and then we balance ourselves as wereach out with one leg to take a step shifting our weightonto the forward leg.Unfortunately, as we age and the core gets weaker weoverwork our hip flexors to lift the leg as we walk, theseare the muscles that shorten and tighten and, in effect,start to pull us forward until we fall over. Strongabdominal muscles are the key to your body working as aunit.With Pilates the "Core" or the center of your body is yourfocus. This is the place from which all motion originatesand then proceeds to the extremities, all working in unisonnot as separate parts. Ultimately every movement,especially walking, should be initiated by firststabilizing the core of the body which involves contractingthe deep abdominal muscles.The Form and Principles involved with Walking directlycorresponds to Pilates Principles:Form is your body's plumb line: head over shoulders, overhips, over knees, over ankles. It is an aligned body. Thegoal is to organize the body so that the spine is stableand the abdominal muscles are engaged, the limbs are activeand supported, the feet are mobile and the breath isconscious, even and regular. This form will helpcontribute to an improved, relaxed, and more fluid gaitspeed while walking.The bridges to this form include our proprioception, orsense of body in space such as width, length, space, anddepth. Without space between the ribs and pubic bone, thebelly muscles pooch out rather than remain hollow,activating the superficial rectus abdominis muscles ratherthan the deeper transversus abdominis and pelvic floormuscles.Without width in the sacral area, our movement is narrowand becomes constricted; it compresses the sacrum by overengaging the gluteal muscles. This is why most people walkwith very narrow constricted steps instead of stretchingand reaching forward as they walk.If your form is currently not in this perfect plumb line itwill affect your posture, which, in turn, affects yourbalance and walking. Pilates exercises helps to correctthis unnatural length/tension relationship in the body. Inessence, it stretches muscles that are tight andstrengthens those that are weak to help realign your bodyto its natural form.Pilates Exercises Can and Should be Modified for the OlderAdult.The classwork and apparatus training is very individualizedin that all the students can adopt variations andmodifications of the exercises to their own abilities. Itcombines the suppleness and flexibility you find in yoga aswell as the strength building you find in weight trainingin the gym.Modifications such as using pillows for the head when lyingon the back, or using pillows under the pelvis when lyingon the stomach can alleviate neck and back pain andtension. If the student has a hard time sitting on thefloor they can do the exercises on a raised table orplatform.About the Author:Jennifer Adolfs is a certified Pilates Mat and EquipmentSpecialist who works with musculoskeletal injuries. Hernew Pilates Ebook outlines special considerations for thoseaffected by back and joint conditions. Find more greatarticles and free tips by going to her web site athttp://www.Pilates-Back-Joint-Exercise.com

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Running Training - 2 Tips To Help You Get Started

If you want to make your workouts more challenging you shouldadd running to your routine. Running can be a great hobby thatnot only is extremely challenging but overall very effectivefor burning fat. The nice thing about running is that it isvery effective in short durations. You do not need to run for avery long time if you don't want too. Running used with weight training can add another dimension toyour fat burning efforts. Also, you'll be in much better shapeas you keep doing it. While weight lifting is optimal forbuilding strength and shaping muscles, running helps you keepyou as lean as possible. You should check with your doctor first to discuss addingjogging to your routine. If you like to add running to yourwork out but you're not sure how to get started, keep thesetips in mind. First and foremost you need the right attire and environment tostart jogging. I would recommend that you find the right runningshoes. You should look into brands such as Brooks or NewBalance. It may be best to go to a store that specializes in runningshoes and you should get properly measured. Having the rightshoe with the proper fit will provide the right foundation foryour running regimen by limiting pain in your feet. The next thing you should remember is to start off simple andslow. If you are weigh a lot or you haven't ran in a long time,you do not want to put yourself in a situation that will hinderyour efforts. It's best to start off walking and then run forshort bouts of time. This is called interval training. Interval training is the best way to build up endurance forrunning. It provides workouts that allow you to challengeyourself on a frequent basis and at the same time allows yourbody to recuperate. For example, a good way to start is to set the duration of yourrunning workout for 20 minutes. Set your intervals for 2 minuteswalking followed by 1 minute of jogging. Use this as a baseline.For example if you get too tired or feel too much pain, increaseto 3 minutes walking with one minute or less jogging. The goal is to build the endurance, not hurt yourself and tryto push yourself to get a little bit better each time. You'llbe surprised how much better you get in such a short durationof time.About The Author: For a great book filled with Weight LossWorkout Routines that include weight lifting and running tokeep you active for a long time, check out our review ofTurbulence Training athttp://www.addfitness.com/turbulence-training.htm

Thursday, March 1, 2007

People with high serum (blood) cholesterol levels

According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 102.7 million adults in the United States have borderline high serum (blood) cholesterol levels (200-239 mg/dl), and another 48.7 million have high cholesterol levels (greater than 240 mg/dl). Moreover it estimates that 36% of teenagers and children in America have unusually high levels of blood cholesterol (greater than 170 mg/dl). Today the average American consumes 15% of calories from saturated fat. Dietary cholesterol comes from animal food sources, which are the same sources that contain saturated fat. Therefore, cutting down intakes of animal foods will reduce both. It is important to remember that saturated fat much more than cholesterol is to blame for increased blood cholesterol levels.